Next on the Tee
After a solid start to the 2009-10 season, the 21st-ranked University of Michigan men's golf team will get back to the course, hosting its only event of the season -- the 2009 Wolverine at Radrick Farms. With the football team playing Indiana in its homecoming game, the men's golf team altered the tournament location from the U-M Golf Course to the Wolverines' second course -- the Radrick Farms Golf Club.

There will be 14 teams competing in the 54-hole event, with 36 holes on Saturday, Sept. 26, and a final 18 holes on Sunday, Sept. 27. Scoring for the event will be five players; count the low four scores each round. Selected schools, including Michigan, will have an invited individual. Radrick Farms will be set up for a par 72 and 6,979 yards.

Chalk Me Up as the Second Best All-TimeMatt Thompson's career-best, eight-under 205 (69-69-67) performance at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate (Sept. 12-13) tied the second best 54-hole tournament total in U-M history. Thompson equaled Christian Vozza's 205 (67-69-69) performance that he tallied at the 2005 Wolverine Intercollegiate. Overall, Bill Rankin holds the U-M record with an eight-under 202 (67-66-69) at the 2008 Maxwell.

Final Round Yields Top Round and Career BestMatt Thompson set a new single-round career best with his four-under 67 in the final round of the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He topped the three-under 68 he had in his very first collegiate round at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate. With that career-best round on the card, Thompson shattered his previous 54-hole tournament best of one-under 212, which came in his collegiate debut last year at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate.

Seeing Red!Matt Thompson is the first Wolverine to post three straight sub-70 rounds in a tournament since Bill Rankin set the U-M record with a 202 (67-66-69) at the 2008 Maxwell nearly two seasons ago. Thompson closed with back-to-back rounds of 69 followed with a career-best 67 at the season-opening Wolf Run Intercollegiate two weeks ago.

First Event, First Start
Newcomers Rahul Bakshi and Jack Schultz made their collegiate debuts and first career starts at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. Schultz closed tied for 42nd with a 226 debut tally, while Bakshi was a stroke behind at 227, tying for 47th.

First Time Preseason Accolade
Following its run to the 2009 NCAA Final Four, Michigan will open the 2009-10 season ranked No. 21 by the Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches' Poll. It marks the first time ever Michigan has been ranked in the preseason top 25. The Wolverines are one of just two Big Ten schools recognized, along with Illinois coming in at No. 11.

Can They Make It Three Straight?
Last season, U-M had two team titles, eight top-five finishes in 14 events and shattered the team scoring record by two strokes, closing with a 292.05 per-round. Those numbers helped the Wolverines earn their second straight NCAA Regional bid. Finishing fifth in the NCAA Southwest Regional, U-M advanced to the NCAA Finals for the first time in 12 years. U-M's postseason momentum continued at the championship event as the Wolverines moved on to the NCAA Match Play Finals, where they closed third, one hole away from competing for a national title. In his coaching career, U-M coach Andrew Sapp has 11 trips to the NCAA Finals taking three different schools to the championship event.

Kim's Preseason Recognition
Along with the U-M's 21st preseason ranking, Lion Kim was selected among the preseason top 50 returning players in the nation. Kim's preseason honor comes after a 2008-09 campaign when he earned All-America honorable mention honors, became just the second Wolverine in history to average below 73 strokes and carried a 72.67 per-round average. He also posted six top-20 individual finishes with two among the top five. Kim, who has started 21 straight events for U-M, was a catalyst in U-M's postseason run when he drained an eight-foot putt to send the Wolverines to the NCAA Match Play Finals and, following a fairway-wood shot to less than a foot of the cup, closed out No. 3 Southern California in the first round of match play.

Oh Captain, My Captain
Following a vote from the coaches and his teammates, Ross Millman was selected to serve as captain for the upcoming 2009-10 season. Playing in just two events his first two seasons, Millman burst onto the scene in his third year, starting eight events during the 2008-09 season and averaging a career-best 75.14 strokes per round. He fired a career-best, two-under 69 in the second round of the Wolverine Intercollegiate, helping him to a career-best, 54-hole total of 213. He closed the season with three top-25 individual finishes. Millman, who is enrolled in U-M's prestigious Ross School of Business, recently became the 10th Wolverine in program history to be named a prestigious Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar recipient for Division I by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA).

PLAYER-BY-PLAYER NOTABLES

Senior Billy McKay
 Played in 14 career tournaments, with nine starts
 Career Stroke Average: 76.31
 Opened the 2009-10 season playing as an individual at the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate
 Season Stoke Average: 77.33
 Helped U-M to back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances
 Shot a career-best, one-under 69 in the third round of the 2006 Nike Purdue Kiahuna Collegiate Invitational
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament total - 77 at the 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout ... 36-hole tournament total - 153 (76-77) at 2007 Robert Kepler Intercollegiate ... 54-hole tournament total - even-par 216 (72-71-73) at the 2006 Pinehurst Intercollegiate... 72-hole tournament total - 314 (74-82-79-79) at the 2007 Big Ten Championships

Senior Ross Millman
 Selected team captain for 2009-10 season by teammates and coaches
 Played in 10 career tournaments, with eight starts
 Career Stroke Average: 76.00
 Helped U-M to back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances
 After playing in just two events his first two seasons, started eight events in 2008-09
 Helped U-M to a runner-up finish at Big Ten Match Play, posting 2-1 record
 Enrolled in the U-M's prestigious Stephen M. Ross School of Business
 Shot a career-best 69 in the second round of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 213 (74-69-70) at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament - none

Junior Lion Kim
 Played in 28 career tournaments, with 27 starts
 Started his last 22 straight events
 Career Stroke Average: 74.29
 2009 PING All-America Honorable Mention
 2009 Golf World Preseason Top 50 returning players in nation
 Helped U-M to back-to-back NCAA regional appearances
 In 2009, helped U-M to first NCAA Finals in 12 years, advancing to NCAA Match Play Finals and finishing third
 As a sophomore became just the second Wolverines to average under 73 strokes in a season (72.89)
 Given name is Jun Min Kim, but goes by "Lion" which is a nickname given to him by his parents
 Shot a career-best four-under 67 in the third round of the 2009 FAU Spring Break Championship
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament of 74 at 2007 Purdue Midwest Shootout ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total of one-under 212 (70-75-67) at the 2009 FAU Spring Break Championship... 72-hole tournament total of 293 (72-73-74-74) at the 2009 Big Ten Championships

Sophomore Alex Frankel
 Played in two career tournaments, all as an individual
 Career Stoke Average: 75.83
 Made collegiate debut as individual at the 2008 Wolf Run Intercollegiate
 Shot a career-best 74, twice -- in the second and third rounds of the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 223 (75-74-74) at the 2008 Wolverine Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament total - none

Sophomore Matt Thompson
 Played in 12 career tournaments, with nine starts
 Career Stoke Average: 73.03
 Opened 2009-10 season shooting a career-best four-under 67 at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, helping him to a career-best eight-under 205 tally -- the second best 54-hole tournament total in U-M history.
 Season Stroke Average: 68.33
 Helped U-M to back-to-back NCAA regional appearances
 In 2009, helped U-M to first NCAA Finals in 12 years, advancing to NCAA Match Play Finals and finishing third
 Known as "Mr. Match Play" after going 4-0-1 during 2008-09
 All-Tournament Team at 2009 Big Ten Match Play Championships
 Shot a career-best four-under 67 in the third round of the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - eight-under 205 (69-69-67) at the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament total - 302 (73-74-79-76) at 2009 Big Ten Championships

Freshman Rahul Bakshi
 One of three newcomers to the Wolverines
 Started first collegiate event in the 2009-10 season opener at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, tying for 47th
 Season Stroke Average: 75.67
 Shot a career-best even-par 71 in the third round of the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 227 (77-79-71) at the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament total - none
 Born in Akron, Ohio, but grew up primarily in India
 Began playing golf in 2001, in first junior event was medalist runner-up using set of rental clubs
 Only Indian player to ever win the National Junior and National Amateur Golf Championship of India in the same year, youngest player to win the National Amateur Golf Championship of India, age 17

Freshman Miguel Echavarria
 One of three newcomers to the Wolverines
 Joined the Wolverines after walk-on tryout period
 Brother, Andres, is a junior golfer at Florida
 Sixth in the 2009 Colombian Amateur Ranking

Freshman Jack Schultz
 One of three newcomers to the Wolverines
 Started first collegiate event in the 2009-10 season opener at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, tying for 42nd
 Season Stroke Average: 75.33
 Shot a career-best 75 in the first and second rounds of the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate
 Career Tournament Bests: 18-hole tournament - none ... 36-hole tournament - none ... 54-hole tournament total - 226 (75-75-76) at the 2009 Wolf Run Intercollegiate ... 72-hole tournament total - none
 2007 Wisconsin Player of the Year
 Three-time conference Player of the Year (2007, '08, '09)